Tailpiece for musical instruments



(No Model.)

R. E. LACKNER.

TAILPIEGE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

No. 602,337. Patented Apr. 12, 1898.

WITNESSES I IN VE/V 7'01? l A BY A TTORN E Y S.

UNITED STATES ROBERT E. LAOKNER, OF

PATENT OFFICE.

PARAGOULD, ARKANSAS.

TAILPIECE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 602,337, dated April 12, 1898.

Application filed June 22, 1897.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ROBERT E. LAOKNER, of Paragould, in the county of Greene and State of Arkansas, have invented a new and Improved Tailpiece, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is a tailpiece for stringed musical instruments and by means of which the tension of the strings may be readily increased or relaxed, according to the use of the instrument.

The specification is the disclosure of one form of my invention, while the claims define the actual scope of the conception.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the invention in use. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the invention on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing the operation of the device, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged end elevation of the same.

According to the form of the invention shown in the drawings the device consists of a stationary member A and a movable member 13. The stationary member A has a downwardly-ranging extension A, adapted to be secured to the body 0 of the instrument, as shown in Fig. 1. The movable member B has an up and rear turned flange B with a series of slots B therein,whereby the several strings O of the instrument may be held.

The inner edge of the member A is tubulated to revolubly carry the shaft D, and said member A also has a slot A at the middle portion of its inner edge. The slot A receives the inner portion of the operating-bar E,while the inner end of such bar is fast in the shaft D. By swinging the bar E forward and rearward, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, the shaft D is rocked one-half of a revolution in Serial No. 641,762. (No model.)

its bearing. Each end of the shaft D has an eccentric trunnion D, which trunnions receive the tubulated extremities of the rearward extensions ]3 of the member B. The rocking of the shaft D through the action of the eccentric trunnions D moves the member B forward and rearward, as the dotted lines in Fig. 4 indicate. The strings C of the instrument being attached to the member B are by this movement of the member 13 contracted or relaxed in tension. \Vhen the instrument is in use, the parts should be in the position shown by full lines in Fig. 4, and when the instrument is not used the member B should be moved forward to relax the tension of the strings.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A tailpiece having two members, and an eccentric connecting the two members with each other, whereby one of the members may be moved forward and rearward.

2. A tailpiece having two members each with a tubulated portion, and a shaft journaled in one tubulated portion and having an eccentric trunnion engaging the other tubulated portion, whereby upon the turning of the shaft one of the members may be moved forward and rearward.

3. A tailpiece consisting in two members, one with a tubulated portion having a slot therein, and the other with two tubulated extensions, a shaft revolubly journaled in the first-named member, a bar fixed to said shaft and movable through the slot of said firstnamed member, and eccentric trunnions for the shaft, the trunnions respectively engaging the tubulated extensions of the secondnamed member.

ROBERT E. LAOKNER.

Witnesses:

J. R. SNODGRASS, J. S. PARKER. 

